On Oprah: "The Stem Cell Debate is Dead"

hat-tip American Papist

New Heart Repair Treatment More Effective and Safer than Stem Cells

Neat stuff - read about it at the Dawn Patrol.

The treatment involves a protein called Thymosin Beta 4 - which was co-discovered by Dawn's dad!!!

Dioxins and Plastics

Confused by e-mails saying you should never put water bottles in the freezer? Johns Hopkins has a helpful piece on what's safe and what's not regarding plastics. Burning? Cooking? Storing water? Check it out!

The Perils of Lavender & Tea Tree Oils

It is now well-known that man-made compounds can present challenges to the normal functioning of the endocrine systems of vertebrates. However, the ability of herbal extracts to be endocrine disruptors is not common knowledge.

Science News (01JUL2006, vol. 170, p. 6) reports that lavender oil and tea tree oil contain compounds that mimic female sex hormones and thus can interfering with male hormones, especially in pre-pubescent boys. Repeated exposure to these compounds through skin-care products produced enlarged male breasts (gynecomastia) in boys age 10 and younger, a very rare condition for that age group. While such a symptom in boys is an obvious indicator that something is amiss, early breast development in girls may also be linked to topical exposure to plant products. Link: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060701/fob8ref.asp

Can radiation be good for you?!

We've all heard so much about the dangers of radiation. In fact, some people have made a career out of preventing the building of nuclear power plants and causing the decommissioning of those already built. The media is full of stories about how dangerous even the smallest amount of radiation can be to our health. They have us worrying about dental X-rays. The mere mention of Chernobyl or Three Mile Island evokes images of widespread death and destruction. The Hanford nuclear site in Washington State is struggling to put in place containment that will satisfy the environmentalists.

But what if this isn't the whole story? What if parts of it have been exaggerated, misrepresented, or misunderstood? The truth is that the death toll from Chernobyl (the worst nuclear accident ever) is around 50, according to an extensive UN study. (No, I'm not missing a few zeroes!) No one died or even got sick from the radiation emitted at Three Mile Island. Long-lived radio-isotopes such as Plutonium, those that remain radioactive for a long time, are generally presented as being extremely dangerous. In fact, it is those with a short half-life that are a much more significant threat, since they emit radiation at a much greater rate.

And even more amazing, there is evidence that small doses of radiation can actually be good for you! Among other interesting facts, people living in the Colorado Rockies, where natural uranium creates higher background radiation, have lower cancer rates than those living in the Gulf States, where background radiation is lower than average. A study showed that people living in houses with small to moderate amounts of radon had lower lung cancer rates than those in houses with little to no radon. This effect is called hormesis.

Intrigued? Read more about it:

John Stossel's report on Radiation (an exception to the usual media message!)
Biological Effects of Low-Level Exposure Website (click on Newsletters link)

Book:
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science has a chapter about this.

Enjoy!

Good Medicine

On occasion I'd like to share articles here about modern medicine working for the good. We see a lot of the bad (which is highlighted in the news), but can lose perspective by only considering the negative.

Here are two to start with:

Jeanna Giese is the first person to survive rabies without receiving the vaccine...
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Article

This is a sadder story of Susan Torres - a pregnant woman who lost all brain function due to Stage 4 melanoma, but was kept on life support long enough for her baby to survive (baby Susan was born just yesterday)...
USA Today Article